yk

I'm curious - as I haven't been to any of these castles and historic homes - but do you find them kind of boring after a while? Do they start looking the same?

Say when we were in the Loire Valley last year, we visited many chateaus over just a few days. But each one is very unique and different from one another. Would you say that's comparable to the places you visited on this trip?

[There is a TV series called Treasures of the Trust done by the National Trust, and I've watched several episodes of it. After a few, I had a hard time keeping track of the houses as they seem to look quite similar.]

rickmav

Anna - yes, I will post pictures once the report is done (multi-tasking is a challenge for me) and I agree with you that the National Trust doesn't have a great website re: the individual properties. Perhaps, they only show you enough to tease you into coming there. And The Laughing Monk is a restaurant, I probably didn't make that clear.

yk - No, I don't find the houses boring, or I wouldn't go. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to get my husband to go (He has a built in bore-ometer.)

I find that each of them are unique because of their stories, which is the part that interests me the most. I also love English history and literature and I find the stately homes, gardens, castles, writers' homes, etc. create a context for what I read, or even the movies I watch.

The only time I've found that the edges blur a bit is if we see too many too quickly, and don't either purchase a guidebook or read the information sheets in each room.

Anna1013

rickmav,

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Hardwick Hall was also used for the recent Jane Eyre adaptation with Toby Stephens. I really hope Lee Ann gets to see your trip report since I know she a Austen fan also.

Do you think you could explain the idea of death taxes. I shamefully only know bits of it from watching 'Monarch of the Glen', but as you mentioned, it seemed like if the family couldn't pay them, they could lose there estate.

I wish I could have been in the room when all the locals started talking about their government - I must never go to the right places!

I found it hilarious that the English think the French & English in Canada have such animosity with each other...until I started wondering the same thing - I'm very easily influenced. But then again, I still find it hilarious that the English & French still think they are at war with each other in Europe.

Stourhead - yay!

yk

Anna - I suppose the death taxes in the UK is similar to the estate tax in the US? I don't know anything about it except when I visited Wilton House (home of the earl of Pembroke) back in May, I was told that the family had to sell a very valuable diptych in order to pay death duties in the early 1900s. The diptych is the famous Wilton Diptych at the National Gallery in London.

ElendilPickle

>>I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Hardwick Hall was also used for the recent Jane Eyre adaptation with Toby Stephens. I really hope Lee Ann gets to see your trip report since I know she a Austen fan also.<<

I've been reading and greatly enjoying this report, Anna - thanks for thinking of me!

Mr. Pickle's favorite film is Sense and Sensibility; I know we would love to visit those filming sites.

To be pedantic, Haddon Hall was used in Jane Eyre, not Hardwick, though. It was also used in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice as well as The Princess Bride.

Lee Ann

Anna1013

yk,

I have about zero knowledge when it comes to anything estate-like(when it comes to business matters), so I wouldn't really know how it is in the US either. I also woefully know little about art, but I'm guessing that the family had to sell a piece of art to pay off the debts?

Lee Ann,

I'm glad you have been reading this, as I think you've visited some of the same areas. Thanks for clearing up my mistake - I'm pretty sure I just saw that the house started with and "H" and ended in hall...I guess the wealthy in Derbyshire weren't that creative

Did you mean S&S was your husbands favorite Austen film, or favorite film in general - either way, I'm impressed! At the rate of going totally off-topic(sorry rickmav) have you seen the most reason BBC version of S&S? Bit different in parts, but did you know the cottage the Dashwood family lives in (post-Norland) is available for holiday stays? Amazing views, but apparently you need to bring your own linens!!

ElendilPickle

Sense and Sensibility is Mr. Pickle's favorite film, though he likes most of the other Austen adaptations I own as well.

I saw that cottage is available for rent, though I don't think I would want to haul linens in my luggage!

Lee Ann

PatrickLondon

Ah, Elinor Glyn - she was associated with the image of mad passion on a tigerskin rug (can't remember if this was a scene in one of her pieces or a publicity photo), giving rise to the verse:

Would you like to sin with Elinor Glyn
On a tigerskin?
Or would you prefer to err with her
On some other fur?

Can't quite imagine stuffy old Lord Curzon with her, somehow.

The death duties problem arose from old-established estates having inherited capital tied up in heritage buildings and artworks while running the business side on credit a lot of the time. If the owner died at the wrong time, the tax bill required chunks of the capital to be released in a hurry - or "goods in lieu" to be handed to "the nation" to cover it.

rickmav

<b>A Call to Julia_t, No Room at Stourhead and Croquet at Lytes Cary</b>

Had originally planned a long drive to Berkeley Castle and Dyrham Park today, and to meet fellow Fodorite, <b>Julia_t</b>, for lunch/tea but my 'troubles' require more constant proximity to washroom facilities and I am not really a shining example of that battered species, The North American Fodorite. Rather than let all sides down, Rick phones Julia and offers our regrets. She is very gracious and hopefully next year, if we get to the area for Christmas, we will be able to meet her.

We decide some October sunshine and a brisk walk at <b>Stourhead Gardens</b> may cheer us up. Stourhead is one of our very favourite places in England. For those of you who may be interested, my first and only short story was about Stourhead (you can read it, if you are bored out of your mind, at: http://www.writersblock.ca/fall2000/fiction.htm).

A few miles from Stourhead, we realize something is going on. It seems as if every vehicle and person in this part of England is trying to get to the same place. Not tourists, but Brits with their children and dogs, picnic baskets and walking sticks. It's incredible. We had envisioned a romantic stroll around the grounds but this has the feeling of a forced march, all in the same direction, hoping to God that no one slips and falls.

Everyone is in a cheerful mood, however, and lots of people ask where we are from (I have come to believe that half of the people living in Canada are actually British), offering us delicacies from the backs of their cars where they have an entire dinner service set up.

After we park, we debate whether to give up and try to find our way out of the back, back, back, overflow, back parking lot, but decide we'll see if <b>Stourhead House</b> is open and how busy it is. I've seen it once before, Rick never has.

There's only a small crowd, so we venture in (save &pound;21 with GBHP). The house belonged to the Hoare family and was given to the National Trust in 1946. One of the conditions of the gift is that their descendents can use two apartments on the second floor. As we walk through the house, we pass through a sitting room still used by Amanda Hoare on weekends. Imagine, watching telly on a Friday evening in the midst of all this splendour.

I like the library the best, and think I recognize a photo of Thomas Hardy on the desk. When I ask the room steward, she says that he and Alda Hoare were great friends. I covet the mahogany library stairs on wheels, wouldn't that be great in our downstairs den. The Saloon has a decidedly Edwardian feel to it, with palm plants and groupings of furniture. You can easily imagine people gossiping, smoking pipes and cigars, bemoaning the state of the Empire.

After the house, we walk toward the gardens, but it is still a madhouse. We stop in at the <b>Spread Eagle Inn</b>, but it is so crowded they are no longer taking reservations for meals anytime during the day. So, we decide to take to road and see if we can catch <b>Lytes Cary</b> open today.

Lytes Cary is a little gem. Reminds me of <b>Baddesley Clinton</b>, north of Warwick, and <b>Great Chalfield Manor</b>, which we've seen on other trips. Lytes Cary was built in the late 1300s and has an Elizabethan feel to it, but on a small, small scale.

Part of the property is actually available as a holiday let, and one of the room stewards tell us that it costs &pound;2000 a week, but has 7 bedrooms. You can play <b>croquet</b> on the lawn and some club is in the midst of a rousing (for croquet) game and it makes such an interesting image with this ancient, little house in the background with Victorian-looking (some actually look that old) croquet players, all in white, in front.

You enter through The Great Hall, which, in this case, is very small. The steward asks where we are from (we, obviously, have the look of the perpetual tourist about us) and when we say Canada, he tells us that he has spent many lovely holidays in Montreal. And then he says a very strange thing. He says he always thought that if the English and French-speaking people had worked together instead of hating each other so much, Canada could have been a great nation. I don't know whether to slap him or just move on. (I am reminded of the heated discussion on this site on 'great' nations.)

If he means Canada could have been a world power, most Canadians don't believe that is our destiny. We wouldn't want the headaches. Living next door to one is close enough. But I don't know where he gets the idea that the French and English are at each other's throats all the time. I can only think that the <b>FLQ</b> crisis in the 1970s still lingers in the memories of late, middle-aged Brits.

The house was built and owned by the Lytes family, fell into disrepair, and was rescued by Sir Edward Jenner, son of Queen Victoria's doctor. (Weren't there rumours that Dr. Jenner was <b>Jack the Ripper</b>, or is that someone else I'm thinking of?) It's quite dark, cold, and medieval feeling.

Most of the flowers in the garden are finished, but the lawn is that lovely, velvet-like green. The front garden is full of these strange topiaries that look like witches, but I think are suppose to imitate the shape of a dovecote in a further garden.

We pick up a Sunday Times on our way home and spend the rest of the day reading it. Our landlord stops by to warn us that the weather is supposed to turn very bad, lots of wind and rain.

The night is very windy and as the rain beats against the French windows, we decide to have a lazy morning, then venture into Sherborne to do some gift shopping if the rain lets up. After a few hours, it doesn't look as if it's going to get much better, but we are stir-crazy, so decide to go into Sherborne anyway and plop ourselves in front of the computer at the library to catch up on what's happening at home.

Someone, I don't remember if it was on this site, recommended the <b>Pear Tree Deli &amp; Cafe</b> in Sherborne. Oh, what a treat. We have to wait for a table, but it's worth it. The place smells heavenly and as you wait in line, you get to peruse all these wonderful shelves and coolers full of all kinds of tempting treats. Rick has the lunch special – chilli shepherd's pie with thick, brown bread and a small salad, and I have the chicken and bacon salad. With a Coke, comes to &pound;15. We buy some macadamia nut cheesecake to take home.

Spend the rest of the day reading, drinking wine and eating crisps and cheesecake.

<b>Next: Wonderful Wells, Groovy Glastonbury and Busy Bath</b>

yk

rickmav - another question for you: Why did you decide to go during October, instead of May or June? (I'm truly just curious, not a criticism.) Since so many places you visited are famous for their gardens, I would imagine a Spring visit would be much nicer than late fall.

Looking forward to the rest.

Cholmondley_Warner

(Weren't there rumours that Dr. Jenner was Jack the Ripper, or is that someone else I'm thinking of?) &gt;&gt;&gt;

I suspect you're thinking of Sir William Gull.

rickmav

Anna - I'm glad others took on the task of explaining death duties. I know I read and hear a lot about about them when visiting the Stately Homes but have never really understood them.

Anna and ElendilPickle re: bringing your own linens, we find about 1/3 of the cottages we look at either want you to bring your own linens or pay extra for them. The cottage in Somerset charged us &pound;3 per person, per week for linens.

Thanks PatrickLondon for the Elinor Glyn info. She sounds fascinating, will have to see if I can find any of her books.

Thanks CW for Gull. I will stop maligning poor Dr. Jenner's name.

rickmav

Hi yk, missed your message last time around. The short answer to your legitimate question is October was the only time my husband could get off work. But we've been to England many times over the past 25 years and like to shake things up a bit, never knowing if we'll discover something really interesting because we go when a lot of other people aren't about. Of course, there are trade-offs but as long as you know you can return, I think it's worth it.

One year my sister-in-law and I went in February and it was one of the best times I ever had in England. It was wretched at home, weather-wise (we were living in northern Canada), so England felt positively balmly. We stayed for a week in London and went to a play every night, plus two matinees - no husband complaining &quot;I'll kill myself if you make me go to another play&quot; - saw snow on the moors, were the only ones at Stourhead, almost the only ones at Hampton Court and booked cottages with fireplaces. The pubs were full of locals, we visited some long-lost cousins, and the roads seemed far less busy. Her and I still talk about returning at that time of year.

Anna1013

Patricklondon,

Thanks for explaining death duties.

rickmav,
Was it a holiday when you visited Stourhead, or did everyone just have a burning desire to go there the same day you did?

Cholmondley_Warner

Thanks CW for Gull. I will stop maligning poor Dr. Jenner's name. &gt;&gt;&gt;

I should hope so too! Edward Jenner has probably saved more human lives than any other man.

He introduced the smallpox vaccine.

BTW William Gull was the person who identified Anorexia Nervosa (and wasn't the ripper).

CW - Full of it.

julia_t

The Edward Jenner Museum is in the village of Berkeley, where he was born in 1749, and the museum is in the house where Jenner lived as an adult. You can walk there from the Castle.

http://www.jennermuseum.com/overview/index.shtml

His discovery of vaccination has developed into one of the most important branches of modern medicine - Immunology. This science helps the world to fight and treat many infectious diseases. In addition to this profound discovery, Jenner made several other contributions to medicine. He was probably the first to associate angina with hardening of the arteries. He also described Rheumatic Heart Disease. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1789 for correctly describing for the first time, the curious nesting behaviour of cuckoos and he studied hibernation habits of hedgehogs. He was also extremely interested in hot-air balloons and experimented with them. You can read all about him on the above website.

rickmav

<b>Wonderful Wells, Groovy Glastonbury and Busy Bath</b>

The next day the sun is shining as we head off to Wells, a small city at the foot of the Mendip Hills. We park in the town centre, very easy (&pound;1.20). Lovely place. Jammed full of shops (including at least six charity shops – my favourites) and we explore most of them as we make our way to <b>Wells Cathedral</b> (http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/).

The west front of the Cathedral of St. Andrew (from the 1200s) contains one of the largest galleries of medieval sculptures in the world (some 400 figures). On the lower levels are biblical scenes, then kings, bishops, angels, the apostles, and then Christ.

I'm not a big churchgoer, but places like this and York Minster and Lincoln Cathedral uplift my soul. Full of all the voices that have prayed here. You're asked to make a donation when you go in and it costs &pound;3 for a camera permit. Amazed at the famous scissor arches, created in 1338 to the keep the towers from sinking. Beautiful stained glass and lots of little chapels off to the sides. Delicately painted ceiling. We light candles for family members.

The <b>Chapter House</b> on the second floor is atmospheric. It's octagonal-shaped and is where the canons would meet to conduct church business. It's all stone and has places for the important clergy, with their diocese and a carving of them above the seat. It was completed in 1306.

Enjoy watching the great clock – one of the oldest in Europe – that chimes the quarter-hour. As soon as the chimes begin, a group of jousting knights ride round and round on their horses and the same fellow gets bashed at the same place on every turn. Entertaining in a weird kind of way.

Outside the Cathedral is the cobble stoned <b>Vicars' Close</b>, which is suppose to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in Europe – who keeps track of these things? The houses were built for the male choir and were finished in 1363. One story is that the sheltered street was built to keep the choir members away from temptation, since they had a habit of womanizing. It is also built sloping upwards, getting narrower as it goes, to make it look longer. Would love to live in one of those little houses. Will definitely return to Wells.

We want to get to Glastonbury so we can climb the Tor in the day light, so skip the <b>Bishop's Palace</b>, which you can see through the trees. Pick up a sandwich at a bakery called Gregg's. Think it's a chain. Full of school kids in their uniforms. I have to laugh at how dishevelled some of them manage to look, even in a uniform.

On to <b>Glastonbury</b>, about four miles away. Of course, the first thing you notice from every direction is <b>Glastonbury Tor</b> (http://glastonburytor.org.uk/) - the rich green hill rising out of the plain with a ruined tower at the top. Some believe Glastonbury Tor was <b>King Arthur's Avalon</b>, the island where <b>Excalibur</b> was created and where Arthur went to recover from wounds. The land is managed by the National Trust.

You can't park right at the Tor, so we park at the <b>Rural Life Museum</b> (free) (map - http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/40E1D/MAP2.jpg), then walk. There are supposed to be buses from the town centre that take you a bit closer but we can't locate them.

The Rural Life Museum (free) (http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/...rsetrurallife/) is worth a quick peek, it follows a typical farm worker's life from birth to death. And if you're interested in Victorian farming tools and equipment (we aren't), there's also the <b>Abbey Barn</b>.

The material I read before our trip says it's about half an hour to the top of the Tor. It takes me longer than that, and I'm glad there's only one other couple about and an elderly gent with a dog who looks as if he climbs the bloody thing every day – because I'm red in the face by the time we get to the top (too many crisps) – but it's worth it. I've seen pictures of the Tor in the mist and think that would make a very cool photo, but I'm glad it's a perfect autumn day because the views are remarkable.

One of the reasons I want to climb it, besides the crisps, is because I have a very dear friend who suffers from debilitating migraines. They've turned her into a recluse and since the Tor is supposed to be this magical place of healing – and she believes in that kind of thing – I hope I can tap into some of that healing energy. I'm not really a believer in that kind of stuff, but she's tried everything else the traditional medical establishment has to offer and I figure, what the hell, it can't hurt.

I don't start speaking in tongues – I couldn't have spoken a word anyway, for the panting – but with the warm sun, a cool breeze, the amazing views, there's certainly a feeling of peace and eternity up here. I'm glad we went.

You always know what muscles aren't working when you come down a hill and I'm hurting by the time we get to the middle of the town of <b>Glastonbury</b>. But the site of a market in full swing instantly revives me, as does the weird and wonderful High Street. It's as if I've time-warped back to the 1960s/early 70s. The smell of incense hangs in the air, almost every shop window is decorated for Halloween – with an emphasis on the voluptuous witch-end of things, and the most interesting people are wandering the streets, or providing entertainment. Some of the shop names are great: Speaking Tree Bookshop, The Goddess &amp; The Green Man, The Psychic Piglet, Yin Yang.

I've never been to any place like Glastonbury. It's surreal. There's a guy playing the bagpipes with a mohawk, no shirt and a kilt over jeans. The woman who waits on me in St. Michael's Hospice, where I buy a pink fairy for my Christmas tree, wears a pentagram around her neck. A man stops an English woman and asks for some change and she tells him to: &quot;Bugger off. I'm already living on my overdraft.&quot; There's a group of flautists, playing the most haunting music, who could have stepped off the cover of a Celtic Dreams CD, except that every conceivable body part is either tattooed or pierced. Wonderful.

We go into <b>Glastonbury Abbey</b> (&pound;5 per person) (http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/inde...mp;rpn=grounds), just off the High Street, and it's as if you've entered another time entirely. Although it's now in ruins, the Abbey was once the richest in England and is considered the earliest Christian sanctuary in Britain. Arthur and Guinevere are supposed to be buried here. It's very peaceful, people are feeding the ducks and relaxing on the grass or sitting under the trees – and in the distance, you can still hear the bagpipes and the flutes.

We leave Glastonbury in a very mellow mood, and decide to drive to Stourhead. As I mentioned before, it's a place we both love, and we both want to continue enjoying this feeling of peace and tranquility. The gardens are beautifully lit with the late afternoon sun, which heightens the oranges, reds and yellows of the trees. There are hardly any people about and we sit and walk, walk and sit. I take far too many pictures – I could produce a coffee table book on Stourhead with all the pictures I've taken over the years – and just enjoy the end of the day. We finish off with a pint in the Spread Eagle Inn, then head for home.

Decide we aren't going to watch the news tonight, don't want to ruin our calm mood, so make dinner, open a bottle of wine, and talk about our lovely day.

Leave early the next morning for <b>Bath</b>. We've been before but are scouting out locations for our next Christmas in England, hopefully, 2009, and have heard that Bath celebrates the season right. Rick doesn't like Bath, he's not sure why, so we are going to see if it was just that first visit (I've been with my sister and mother as well) or something else.

Lots of lorries on the road, which makes travelling, slow. It rains, then the sun comes out, hope it stays that way. One of the reasons Rick didn't enjoy his first visit to Bath was the traffic, so we plan on parking in the <b>Newbridge Park 'n Ride</b>, but unbelievably it is full to the brim. After making a couple of loops through, we decide to take our chances and drive into the city centre.

Have to go around the block once because we miss the first turn into a parking area just off Charlotte St. (Bath parking map - http://www.cityofbath.co.uk/bath_map/body_bath_map.html).

Lots and lots of school groups around, half of them are either French or French immersion. Go in the wrong entrance for the <b>Roman Baths</b> (http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/), so take a shortcut through the <b>Pump Rooms</b>. Not hard to imagine <b>Jane Austen</b> and her group gadding about here. We don't stop, we've had tea here before, which we enjoyed, complete with background music from a small orchestra, but make our way to the Baths (covered with the GBHP – save &pound;28).

Again, lots of school groups and it seems as if the teachers have lost control. The teenagers are taking advantage of all the dark corners and I keep coming across pairs of them unexpectedly. And, I don't know if it's my imagination, but the whole place seems so much darker than previous visits. Perhaps, the teenagers have found the dimmer switch. Where the sunshine is spilling in, however, there's lots of interesting things to see.

Everyone is carrying around the telephone-style guides. It reminds me of some science fiction B movie from the 70s, we all look like a pod of shuffling zombies. The commentary is interesting – although, why would they have Bill Bryson on there? – but I prefer to wander about out of order (which could be my family motto). Shop for a bit when we finish at the Baths. Lots of lovely things. Pick up some bath bombs at <b>Lush</b> – what great staff they have there.

Decide to have lunch at a place recommended on Fodors (I think it was yk who was there) – <b>Raphael</b> (http://www.raphaelrestaurant.co.uk/). Rick is pushing for O'Neils, an Irish pub, but I'm getting a bit tired of pubs, so we venture into Raphael. For some reason, I'm reminded of the Paris bistro in Victor/Victoria where Julie Andrews gets thrown out for bringing in a cockroach. (I am constantly amazed and frightened by the associations my mind makes.)

We are the only customers and the waitress makes us feel very welcome. There is a fixed two-course lunch for &pound;10.95 each and Rick has the bruschetta for a starter, I have the carrot soup with orange. The bruschetta is very different from what we had in Italy, but it's good. It has tomato, caramelized onions and a thick slab of mozzarella on top of a piece of French bread. More sweet tasting than vinegary. The soup is good.

For a main dish, Rick has the local sausages with Dijon and chevre mash, and I have a frittata with roasted peppers, baby spinach and brie. Both are good and filling. We share a bottle of water.

Then on to <b>Bath Abbey</b> (donation requested at entry, no charge for taking pictures) - http://www.bathabbey.org/. Kind of underwhelming after Wells. Hordes of school kids, chasing each other from one chapel to the other. They all have clipboards, looks like they are on a kind of religious treasure hunt. Listen to one teacher as he explains to a group of 12-year old boys about the tablets on the walls. &quot;Just imagine that you died and your mates had a whip 'round (I think that's what he calls it) and collect some money to buy something to remember you by. That's what these plaques are.&quot;

Then we walk on to the <b>Fashion Museum</b> (http://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/). The entry fee is included with the Baths/GBHP. I've been here a number of times and have always enjoyed it, but this time it is disappointing. They warn you when you go in that there are a limited number of exhibits open, although they don't say why, and what you see isn't that remarkable. One thing I notice from my last visit, which was a few years ago now, is that instead of presenting the clothes in chronological order, they have them all mixed together with some questionable themes connecting them.

Although I don't wear the latest fashions, I've always enjoyed following different designers' work and I can't believe what the Fashion Museum is showing is the best of the best. The only part I enjoy is where they compare Georgian, Regency and Victorian styles, with descriptions about how and why the styles changed. I don't even like the telephone-style guides. The commentary is more mini-essays on fashion instead of imparting worthwhile information. (How can you tell I didn't enjoy it?)

We get turned around when we come out of the Fashion Museum a lovely woman gets us on the right track to our car. I'd hoped to stop by the <b>Jane Austen Centre</b>, but Rick notices that the traffic is picking up and would prefer to miss rush hour so we leave.

Watch the news tonight and reporters and politicians are finally using the 'R' word, recession. Also, notice that the reporters seem a bit obsessed with Sarah Palin, there is usually one news item about her every day. Always kind of a 'tabloid' angle – although, possibly, she is an easy target. I don't like her but I still find it sexist and exploitive.

Kind of a grumpy day. I don't think Rick has changed his mind about Bath, and I think I've been influenced by him. Perhaps, it was just such a contrast to Wells and Glastonbury.

<b>Next: A Perfect Day in the Country, the Dorset Coast and Fabulous Forde Abbey</b>

flanneruk

&quot;But then again, I still find it hilarious that the English &amp; French still think they are at war with each other in Europe.&quot;

Not quite.

We <b> know </b> we are. The French aren't quite so sure.

yk

I continue to enjoy your journey through England. Your description of Wells and Glastonbury brought back some lovely distant memories for me. I visited those places (by public transportation) back in 1993... overdue for a revisit!

I don't know why Bill Bryson recorded the &quot;alternative&quot; audioguide at the Roman Baths, but I found him quite funny, at least more entertaining than the official audioguide descriptions.

I cannot take credit for Raphael restaurant... it was julia_t's suggestion as she's the expert on Bath.

I can't even recall what it's like inside Bath Abbey; altho it has a very unique facade with angels climbing up/down the ladders.

A bit off-topic, rickmav, do Canadians use British words instead of American words? I didn't realize you guys use lorries instead of trucks, for example.

irishface

Still enjoying your report! I love the little details you include and the turn of phrase you use. (&quot;the teenagers found the dimmer swtch&quot; overheard on the street &quot;I'm already living on my overdraft&quot

I too prefer Wells to Bath, though I can't put my finger on why. Perhaps it's that Wells has a smaller feel to it. However, that said, if someone offered me a trip to Bath, I'd grab it! Likewise, if I were in the area and someone in the party said, &quot;Let's go to Bath today,&quot; I'd go just to see if I were wrong the first time.